


Celestial Angels and Satanist Cults

by itwasadarkandstormynight, OuidaMForeman



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Alternate Universe - Doctor Who Fusion, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Time Lords Are Aliens, accuracy varies, basically they're Time Lords that's the fusion, lots of em - Freeform, maps of London
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:30:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25310137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itwasadarkandstormynight/pseuds/itwasadarkandstormynight, https://archiveofourown.org/users/OuidaMForeman/pseuds/OuidaMForeman
Summary: An heir is missing, and Gallifrey is in danger.  At least, so says the cult of Satan, of which Crowley is a part.  He is sent to Earth to find Adam—the missing heir apparent.  One problem—Adam has been turned human by the effects of a chameleon circuit.An heir is being searched for, and the cult must be stopped.  At least, so says the CIA (Celestial Intervention Agency), of which Aziraphale is a part.  He is sent to Earth, to stop the cult of Satan from finding their missing heir.This is what happens when these two Time Lords, on separate sides of a similar agenda, discover that all is not what it seems and that maybe—maybe—there is something more to life and the universe than their sides would like them to believe.
Relationships: Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 13
Collections: Good Omens Mini Bang





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Illustrated by [Ouida](https://ouidasart.tumblr.com/post/623808492147556353/my-first-painting-for-the-do-it-with-style-events)!
> 
> Thanks to [Thyra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thyra279/) and Erni for the beta read.
> 
> Shoutout to [Bucky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MovesLikeBucky/) for the summary.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Crowley and Aziraphale are sent on their way to Earth. Adam notices a change.

“Are you _done_ , Crawly?”

“Lord Beelzebub! Hello!” Crowley grinned. “It’s ‘ _Crow_ ley’, though.”

“Crowley, Crawly, whatever. Are. You. _Done_?”

“Do not fear, Lord Beelzebub, for I am almost ready.” Crowley decided to cut back on the dramatics after Beelzebub gave an especially frightening glare. It wouldn’t do to upset zim at this stage. “Wearing the proper clothing is important, my lord. But I am ready to leave now.” 

“Don’t fuck this up, _Crowley_. This is everything we have ever worked for. I’ve received word the CIA is sending an agent as well. Do try to avoid them.” Beelzebub leaned forward, and Crowley could feel zir breath on his face. Zie looked especially terrifying with the skull on zir head and smoke rising from the column behind zim. “They. Must. Not. Know.”

Crowley’s breath hitched. “Trust me, my lord. I will succeed.”

“You’d better. I’ll be too busy to talk to you, so any further communication shall be with Hastur and Ligur. Now, go.”

Crowley left as fast as he could, nearly scratching his robes on the skulls in the wall as he did.

~~~

“Don’t fret, Aziraphale. We have given you everything you need.”

“Well, yes, but what if--”

“No ‘buts’, Aziraphale. Just switch your robes for this... ‘earth outfit’... and go. You can’t fuck this up before it’s even started!” Coordinator Gabriel laughed, before continuing, “just go, Aziraphale. There’s not a moment to lose!”

Aziraphale forced a grin. “Yes, my lord. I will fulfill my mission properly, I assure you.”

Gabriel smiled. “Oh, you will. Report back as soon as you’ve arrived, agent.”

Aziraphale sighed inwardly. He took one last look at his surroundings--the curtains, the pillars with writing on them--cataloguing them in his mind. He wouldn’t see those for some time. Then he walked, perhaps slightly slower than he usually did, to the TARDIS bay.

~~~

The TARDIS bay was empty save for a few guards, none of whom noticed a figure slithering into the area. They were far too busy checking a CIA agent’s papers, then double-checking, then triple-checking. Unbeknownst to them, by the time they were done, one of the TARDISes in a more secluded part of the bay had disappeared. By the time they discovered it, it caused a bureaucratic nightmare which required the High Council to convene before all the proper forms had been filled out and the case could be considered closed.

None of that mattered to Crowley, though. He had a mission, and he’d be damned if he failed this early on. He got lucky that a CIA agent was set to depart right when he’d entered--he hadn’t been looking forward to having to wait for a few weeks, as he would’ve had to in more unfortunate circumstances. As it was, he’d been able to leave almost immediately. He’d been lucky, here, but this was just the beginning. Crowley gritted his teeth. He could only hope he would be this lucky again.

At the same time, Aziraphale was getting impatient. Oh, he knew checking was important--imagine if it wasn’t done, all sorts of people could just grab a TARDIS and leave! Aziraphale shuddered at the thought--but he was getting quite anxious. He had a mission, and while he wasn’t exactly eager to execute it, he did want to finish it and get on with operations he was more familiar with. He didn’t _do_ undercover work. 

When the guards finally did finish, Aziraphale heaved a sigh of relief. He entered the TARDIS that had been made ready for departure for him, entered the coordinates for Earth, and left. Then, he disrobed and put on his clothes. They felt terrible, but oh well. He’d get used to it. He had to.

~~~

It was a normal school day for Adam. Well, it had been, right up to science. It was the last period of the day, and he was eager to go home so he could play with Dog and his friends. If he hadn’t gotten a splitting headache along with an inexplicably strong urge to throw up, he probably would have. Instead, he’d had to go to the nurse, after which his mother came to pick him up and take him home. He had to stay in the house for the rest of the day, and although his friends did come by to talk with him, it wasn’t the same. At least he was allowed to watch TV while lying on the couch.

“It’s not fair, mum. I’m feeling fine now, why can’t I go outside?”

“I’m not taking any chances. Even if you _feel_ fine, it doesn’t mean you actually _are_. If you feel well tomorrow I’ll let you go outside, don’t worry. I won’t force you to stay inside on a sunny Saturday.” His mum smiled and ruffled his hair. “And anyway, it’s almost bedtime, dear. Get ready for bed.”

Adam pouted. “But this episode is just getting interesting!”

“I doubt that, Adam. Just put on your pajamas and go brush your teeth.” 

Adam wanted to protest, but decided against it after his mum gave him a stern look. “Ugh, fine...”

He got up and made his way upstairs. When he got into bed he almost immediately sank into a dreamless sleep.

~~~

Upon his arrival, Crowley immediately sensed something was wrong after stepping out of his TARDIS. He always felt the presence of other Gallifreyans, but here on Earth, he should be the only one. Yet the presence he felt in his mind most acutely was most certainly on the same planet as he was.

Something had most definitely gone wrong. It was probably that CIA agent that Beelzebub had been talking about.

 _Damn._ They knew. This was going to be harder than Crowley had expected.

He surveyed the room he had landed in. It was a sparsely clad flat. Beelzebub had told him it would be decked out entirely in Earth furniture, but it still had a distinctly Gallifreyan look to it. He turned around and saw his TARDIS had turned into a closet. Well, at least that was easy to get into, he thought. Imagine if it had turned into a floor lamp! [1]

~~~

His TARDIS had landed, but Aziraphale hadn’t worked up the courage to step outside yet. What if he couldn’t even find the kid? He was undetectable, there was absolutely nothing that would make him stand out from the rest, except a measly broken pocket watch,... and how could you figure out who carries a broken pocket watch with them at all times? Well, that was his luck, at least: very few people carried a pocket watch with them, if the intel was correct. 

_If..._ Aziraphale shook his head. Well, if he stayed inside, he would never be able to find the supposed ‘son of Satan’. At least he had a decent cover. He’d always liked books.

He stepped out into the bookshop he would be ‘running’ for the foreseeable future, and immediately halted. He had known there’d be a cult operative, but he hadn’t quite expected they’d be there already. 

This was less than ideal. It took everything Aziraphale had to not turn around and leave immediately. Gabriel would kill him if he came back now, literally. And Aziraphale was quite attached to his current incarnation... 

No, he’d just have to stay here. Maybe it wouldn’t be _that_ bad?

Aziraphale sighed. He couldn’t even fool himself. Well, no sense in worrying when there’s a job to be done. Best to just get on with it.

~~~

Adam was glad he could go to school again after the weekend was over, although he’d never say it out loud. Pepper, Brian and Wensleydale all came up to him as soon as he entered the school, asking what had happened, why he hadn’t been allowed to go outside, and if he really did feel well enough to go to school again, wouldn’t he rather just stay home? Adam could barely make out what they were saying, never mind answer all their questions. Instead, he held up his hands to placate them and laughed. 

“Relax, you guys! I’m fine!”

“Are you really--” “Well you _say_ you are--” “Okay but--”

“I’m fine. I said I’m fine. I _am_!” Adam said, somewhat annoyed. “Let’s just go to the form room. It’s almost time anyways.”

As if to emphasise the truth of his words, the bell rang as soon as he finished talking.

The rest of the day went by rather uneventfully. Well, at lunch, someone threw a glob of potato salad at another kid’s face, and it landed exactly on their nose, which caused quite a consternation, but other than that, it was a day like any other.

(Except for that nagging feeling Adam had that something was different. He couldn’t explain how or why or what had changed, but _something_ had, and he felt it. Oh, he could mostly ignore it, but no matter what he did, that feeling wouldn’t go away. Not even a little bit.)

~~~

“What the hell are these maps even? Only two dimensions? Not even a mention of what these are called?” Crowley groaned and laid his head on the table, upon which also several maps of London, varying wildly in accuracy and age [2] were also lying. All of these had been provided by his superiors, but none of them actually had any idea what maps would actually be useful. Not that Crowley had much more experience, but _come on_. This was just laughable.

This was it, Crowley thought. This was the point at which he was going to lose his mind. He hadn’t even been here a single day, and he was losing it. They said Earth tends to have that effect on you. They hadn’t been exaggerating.

With a sigh, Crowley collected himself. He could do without these maps. Surely there’d be some place he could get one. Now, how did that work again?

Oh _no_. He would have to use _money_.

Crowley groaned again. He felt a headache coming on. At least he’d already changed clothes.

~~~

At the same time, Aziraphale wasn’t faring any better. 

“Just follow your orders and everything will go according to plan,” Gabriel had said. Easy for him to say, Aziraphale thought. The orders he’d been given didn’t account for a lot of things that simply weren’t under his control. 

Well. If the orders weren’t precise enough, nobody could blame him for doing things he hadn’t been told to do, could they? [3]

Not even all his preparations couldn’t have prepared Aziraphale for what Earth was actually like. It was so _busy_. Despite the fact that the sign on the door of his shop said ‘closed’, several people had knocked or rung the bell. He even caught a few trying to force the door open. (His cover as an eccentric bookshop owner was one of the things he _was_ actually secure in, but the sheer _vulgarity_ of humans didn’t help.)

Time to get out and explore. He had to get out anyways, might as well gather information about the place.

~~~

Two Time Lords walking around in the same city are bound to meet eventually. Some might say it’s a coincidence, but the simple fact is that due to their telepathic nature, they naturally gravitate towards each other without consciously meaning to. 

Aziraphale found himself walking towards the shopping centre. It was as good a place as any, especially since there were a lot of people out shopping. He didn’t enter any shops--he wasn’t ready yet to deal with being _social_ with humans--but he was quite content to look at the window displays.

Crowley, meanwhile, was desperately trying to find a shop that sold accurate maps. [4] He was looking so desperately, in fact, that he almost knocked a few people over. He ran throughout the city, getting more and more frantic with every passing second, until- 

He stopped short. 

_Oh no._

Aziraphale had been sunk into his thoughts until a suddenly very present presence almost literally shook him awake. At first, he wanted to tell them off, but-

_Oh no._

_It’s them_ , they thought at the same time.

~~~

“Watch out!”

Adam turned around just in time to see the ball fly right past his face. He laughed. “Missed me!”

“That’s because you got lucky!” Pepper yelled from the other side of the field. 

“I’m just that good, Pepper! Admit it!”

“Never!”

Adam threw the ball back, and when Pepper managed to catch it, he made an exaggerated show of his disappointment. Pepper stuck out her tongue. Brian took his moment to ask if they should get ice cream.

“Yes!” Wensleydale said. “It’s actually rather warm, so it’s perfect weather for ice cream!”

“And I happen to know a really good ice cream shop that just opened in the shopping centre,” Pepper put in.

Adam smiled. “Let’s go, then! To the ice cream shop!”

As soon as they arrived at the shopping centre, with Pepper leading the way to the shop, Adam started turning his head and looking around. He kept glancing over his shoulder as they walked. 

“What’s going on, Adam? Why do you keep turning around?” Brian asked. 

“Yeah, are you seeing something there?” Wensleydale wondered.

“It’s nothing, I just thought I heard something.”

Before either of them could ask another question, Pepper said, “We’re here!”

Just as they entered the shop, two people bumped into each other. This wouldn’t have been noteworthy, were it not for the fact that Adam suddenly felt like he'd been shocked by an invisible current at the exact same time. 

Wensleydale turned around. “Adam, are you coming? What are you staring at?” 

Adam jumped, startled. “Huh? What? Wait up! I’m coming!”

Well, that was weird, Adam thought. He wasn't sure what had just happened, or why, but there was ice cream to be eaten, so whatever it was would have to wait.

* * *

1. This was not something Crowley had experienced himself, but he’d heard the stories in what passed for small talk on Gallifrey.^

2. And place, even. One map wasn’t London, England, but London, Arkansas. Crowley wasn’t sure why they ever included that one, but Time Lords work in mysterious ways.^

3. ‘They’ very well could, but Aziraphale was smart enough to always have a defence ready. It would all be perfectly legal.^

4. So far, he’d only found tourist maps, and they looked _garish_. Humans were _terrible_ with colours.^

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check back next week for chapter two!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crowley and Aziraphale have a conversation or two. Adam grows more and more worried (and so do his friends).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to [Thyra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thyra279/) and Erni for the beta read.
> 
> Enjoy!

_Oh no. It’s them._

Aziraphale had known there’d be an operative, that was the entire point of his mission, but he had _not_ expected to meet them this soon. Neither had his superiors, because there was nothing in his orders that told him what to do if he actually _met_ the operative. 

Which meant he could do whatever he wanted. What else could he possibly do? [5]

_Oh no. It’s them._

Crowley had known there’d be an agent but he’d hoped they wouldn’t be there yet. At the same time, he knew that hope had been in vain--perhaps it _had_ taken a while for the CIA to send someone, but as long as they sent that agent to the same point in Earth’s time, they’d be there when he was.

Well then. Best go talk to them. Not much else he could do now, was there?

“Well hello! I hadn’t expected to meet you so soon!” Crowley drawled.

Aziraphale scoffed. “I have no desire to speak to a degenerate like _you_.”

“Degenerate? My, my, you really are at a loss for words, aren’t you? Not very imaginative, I can tell you that.”

Aziraphale looked disdainfully at Crowley, who was practically dancing around him. [6] ”Why are you still talking to me? Shouldn’t you be getting on your way, doing whatever nefarious things it is you cultists do?”

“Oh, you wound me, _agent_. You lot are picture perfect of course, with your sanctimonious attitude. Tell me, how many unsightly incidents have you covered up in the last span alone?”  
  
“ _We do not cover things up!_ ” Aziraphale fumed. “We enforce the Laws of Time. You, on the other hand, all seek to destroy them!”

Crowley stared at the agent for a few seconds, resigned. Then he shrugged. “Enforcing, huh? How’s that working out for you?”

“I- What?” Aziraphale spluttered. ”Who do you think you are?”

Crowley grinned. “I’m Crowley. You?”

Aziraphale was so taken aback by the turn their conversation had taken that he’d answered “Aziraphale,” before realising that was not at all what he was supposed to do. He wasn’t supposed to make friendly conversation with the enemy! He was supposed to be working against him! 

“Well, Aziraphale, it’s been absolutely _lovely_ meeting you, but I really must take my leave. I have other things to get to. Goodbye!” Crowley dashed out, taking advantage of Aziraphale’s stunned silence. He still hadn’t bought his map, and now that he definitively knew that there was an agent here, he’d have to come up with how to deal with both issues.

Aziraphale couldn’t say he wasn’t glad Crowley had run off like that. It’s not like he actually could have taken him down, not with all these humans around. Nor could he shake off the feeling Crowley wasn’t as bad as he’d assumed. Nevertheless, he couldn't exactly entertain those thoughts--he was here to fulfill the mission he'd been given. Not to fraternise.

~~~

When Adam and his friends got out of the ice cream shop, they saw two old [7] men arguing vehemently. People argued frequently in shopping centers, so this too wouldn’t have been noteworthy if Adam hadn’t stopped and stared at them. Pepper had to physically drag him away.

“Seriously, what is it with you today?” Pepper asked. “You’ve been acting weird all day. Are you sure you’re not still sick?”

“Yeah, are you certain you’re actually feeling well?” Wensleydale asked.

Brian had just taken a bite of his ice cream, so he couldn’t say anything, but he did try his best to look worried.

Adam sighed, annoyed. “I told you guys this morning, I’m fine! There’s nothing wrong with me? Why would you even say that?”

Pepper raised her eyebrow. “I didn’t say there was anything wrong with you, Adam. Just that you’ve been..." Pepper paused, trying to look for a more sympathetic word, "...distracted. You’re usually not like that, so we’re not used to it, that's all."

Adam didn't reply to that, too busy with his ice cream. The others shared a glance, and then decided to let it go. Adam clearly didn't want to talk, and they wouldn't be able to make him, nor did they want to force him. He might be acting a bit different, but he was still their friend. If he wanted to talk about it, he would, in his own time.

Right now, there were bigger things to worry about. Like whether they had time to eat their ice cream before it started to melt.

~~~

Back in his flat, Crowley was freaking out, to put it mildly. This was _not_ part of the plan [8]. What was he supposed to do now? Now that they’d met, he obviously had to do _something_ , 

Aziraphale had been rather rude, but to Crowley, he hadn’t come across as 100% sincere in his hostility. This struck Crowley as rather curious. Normally, CIA agents were the ones with the most fervour for traditionalism. The fact that Aziraphale seemed to not entirely fit that mold was... interesting, to say the least.

It also meant he might be receptive to helping Crowley. Not with his ‘mission’, obviously, but Crowley wasn’t exactly eager to fulfill it either. No, he had something else he wanted to do, but he’d need some help--and Aziraphale might just be the perfect person to give it to him.

If only he could figure out where Aziraphale’s base of operations was. 

~~~

The encounter with Crowley had left Aziraphale somewhat confused. Overall, it didn’t have much bearing on his mission, he could proceed as he’d planned. But the way Crowley had stared at him when he’d said the cult was there to destroy the Laws of Time... 

It could only mean two things:

  1. the CIA hadn’t given him the correct information regarding the cult of Satan, or;
  2. Crowley had thought Aziraphale had been talking about him specifically, and he didn’t actually want to do the cult’s bidding



Since it _obviously_ couldn't be the first, it had to mean Crowley wasn’t a particularly passionate member of the cult, and perhaps he could be persuaded to leave Adam alone.

Unfortunately, in order to bring that about, Aziraphale would have to talk to him. Which meant that he’d have to find Crowley. And convince him to do it.

This was going to be... unpleasant.

~~~

Over the course of the next few days, Adam kept getting flashes of the nagging feeling he’d had before, except stronger. Occasionally, he’d catch glimpses of a person who looked--no, _felt_ familiar. [9] Something had changed, he knew that. But with only vague feelings to go on, it wasn’t like he could talk to anyone about it. Besides, what would he even say? “Yeah something’s happened I keep getting a nagging feeling”? They’d think he was making things up. They’d think he was just a kid and he was saying it for no reason.

He didn’t like people thinking he was “just a kid”. He wasn’t.

The downside was that he kept getting distracted, and others would keep asking him about it, especially his friends. He didn’t know how to answer them. He didn’t know what was happening to him either, and, if he was being totally honest, it was beginning to scare him.

While thinking about this during lunch break, his hand slowly reached toward his pocket, to grab the pocket watch that was in it. He held the watch in his hand for a few seconds, staring at it, his finger hovering over its crown. 

The bell rang, shaking Adam out of his trance. Time for history class. He pocketed his watch and walked to the classroom.

~~~

Crowley still didn’t have a map, so he decided to go out and attempt to buy one again. This time, he didn’t meet Aziraphale, so he did his shopping in peace. [10]

He decided it’d be best to wait until he was back in his flat before actually taking a proper look at the map he’d bought. Humans generally frowned upon people reading outside, Crowley found. [11] Walking back to the flat would also give him the opportunity to study his surroundings more, as he hadn’t actually done so before.

Crowley had taken a slightly different route back, so when he spotted the bookshop, it came as quite a surprise to see Aziraphale standing inside, reading. Crowley peered through the window. He couldn’t quite make out what the words on the cover said, but one word in particular caught his eye-- “history?” Crowley mumbled. “He’s reading history books?” He laughed, and got some curious looks from people around him. Not that he noticed--he was too engrossed in what he saw to notice anything else. 

(Luckily for Crowley, Aziraphale was too engrossed in his reading to notice Crowley.)

~~~

Aziraphale was reading a fascinating book on silk roads, when suddenly he felt that presence again that he’d encountered in the shopping center.

_Crowley_.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see that Crowley was staring through the window. Aziraphale pretended not to notice, while trying to think of what he should do about it. This was a prime opportunity to actually talk to Crowley, though, and he couldn’t let it slip away--but he would need to approach Crowley carefully, otherwise... well, he wasn’t sure what could happen, but he couldn’t make any mistakes. One couldn’t be too careful, after all. 

Aziraphale closed his book. This wouldn’t do. Taking care to not look in the direction of the window, he surreptitiously moved closer to the door. Setting the book down on a pile of other books, he steeled himself and opened the door. 

~~~

Crowley’s hearts almost leapt out of his chest when he heard the door to the bookshop open and he froze on the spot. He saw Aziraphale walk towards him, stop right next to him, and whisper in his ear: “Come with me, cultist. We need to talk.”

Aziraphale was standing _very_ close to Crowley, [12] As such, Aziraphale had to repeat his statement before Crowley reacted, by taking a step away from Aziraphale so abruptly he almost fell over. He steadied himself, then said, “Agent! Hello!” in that fake sort of cheery way that is almost certainly meant to say “why are you even talking to me”. [13]

“As I said, we need to talk. Not here, though. That’s far too conspicuous. Come with me.” Aziraphale spoke softly, but in a tone of voice so determined Crowley felt compelled to obey instantly. When Aziraphale walked in the direction of the shopping centre, Crowley followed.

“Alongside me, please. It will make it easier,” Aziraphale said, “I have a... proposal for you.”

Crowley cautiously moved to Aziraphale’s side. There were far too many people, forcing him to walk very close to Aziraphale. “A proposal, you say?” he asked, in a tone that tried to come across as suave but, in reality, sounded only slightly less nervous than Crowley actually was.

Aziraphale took no notice of this, however. “Yes. A proposal. Of something that will make both our jobs easier.”

Crowley scoffed. “Some proposal you must have! Is this supposed to benefit both of us? Or are you trying to make _your_ job easier and is your head so far up your own arse you genuinely believe that what's good for you will automatically be good for me too?”

“You are making unwarranted extrapolations. That is not--” 

Aziraphale was interrupted by a woman who, according to her name badge, was called Helena, and she had an assortment of flowers in her hand.

“Here, mister. It’s for a good cause!” She pressed one of the flowers into Aziraphale’s hands, and before he had a chance to protest, she turned away, in search of another person to give a flower to.

Aziraphale stared at the object in his hands. It looked different than he was used to, but he was most certainly holding a plant. He was holding, and touching, a _plant_.

Crowley hadn’t minded the sudden silence, but his curiosity got the better of him and he looked over at Aziraphale to see what had gotten him to shut his mouth all of a sudden. 

He hadn’t expected to see it was a _flower_ of all things that had made Aziraphale silent. Amused, but also feeling a semblance of pity for the agent, he said, “Here, give it to me. I’ll hold it.”

Aziraphale looked up, a look of alarm written on his face. “You... you _touch_ plants?”

“I’ve seen you read history books!” Crowley replied, indignant.

“Well, you’ll find that _that_ ,” Aziraphale said, “is not actually taboo.”

“But it _is_ frowned upon. Besides, aren’t you,” Crowley lowered his voice as to avoid being overheard, “aren’t you CIA?”

Aziraphale glared at Crowley with the rage of a thousand suns. “That has nothing to do with it,” he said haughtily. Then, realising he still had the flower in his hands, he quickly shoved it into Crowley’s hands and stroked his own against his clothing in an attempt to clean them of the flower. Dismayed, he realised he’d have to disinfect his hands as soon as he got back to the bookshop.

Crowley examined the flower, turning it over to take a good look at it. He hadn’t been able to do so yet, so this was the first time he’d actually gotten a proper look at an earth plant. Still studying the flower, he said, “You were saying, a proposal?” 

Aziraphale cleared his throat. “Yes, a proposal. I, ah, haven’t worked out the finer details yet, but, well.--”

“Do get on with it, _please_. I haven’t got all day. I have other things to do,” Crowley said, with exaggerated politeness. He really didn’t want to be having this conversation, but Aziraphale seemed determined to make him suffer. Must be a new torture technique the CIA had developed. [14]

“Well, that is exactly what I wanted to talk about.” Crowley raised an eyebrow. Aziraphale rolled his eyes and continued, “Your... ‘mission’. You see, what you’re supposed to do--”

“Hang on,” Crowley said, somewhat surprised. “You know what I’m supposed to do? How far do the CIA’s tendrils reach?”

“If you actually want to hear my proposal, I do suggest you shut up and don’t interrupt me. Now, as I was saying...”

The rest of their conversation went undisturbed, luckily.

* * *

5. A more proper Time Lord would extrapolate from their given orders what their superiors would want them to do. Aziraphale, despite his best pretences, was not a proper Time Lord.^

6. ‘practically dancing’ according to Time Lords, that is. To any human, he was simply moving his body while he was talking.^

7. In human terms, neither Crowley nor Aziraphale look very old, but to the Them, every adult looks old.^

8. Not that Crowley _had_ much of a plan besides avoiding the CIA agent, but that was besides the point.^

9. There were two different people for whom this was the case, but they felt similar enough Adam could barely tell the difference sometimes.^

10. Well, as peaceful as a Time Lord shopping on Earth could be, which is to say, not at all. Crowley got into several arguments with shop owners over the prices of their wares, before he managed to find a map that satisfied him.^

11. Which was not at all because he did actually try to study the map, no, why would you ever think of such a thing.^

12. And Crowley’s brain was short-circuiting because of it. Time Lords don’t stand that close to each other if they can help it, so he was very much not used to this sort of thing.^

13. Something that Time Lords are very good at, in fact. It comprises almost ninety-nine percent of how they speak.^

14. The CIA did not actually use prolonged conversation as torture, simply because they did not think of the possibilty that it could be torture.^

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time Lords being Time Lords is my favourite thing to write, so you can imagine how much fun I had writing this chapter!
> 
> Chapter three is coming next week again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conversations are had, plans are made. Things are moving towards a conclusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thanks to [Thyra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thyra279/) and Erni for the beta read!

Adam, Pepper, Brian, and Wensleydale walked out of the geography classroom. Adam tripped when another student bumped into him. The rest of the Them quickly helped Adam, fussing over him. 

“Would you stop treating me like I’m some kind of porcelain vase? I’m getting sick of it!” Adam was, to put it lightly, slowly getting annoyed with how everyone was behaving towards him, as if he was an object in a box that said “FRAGILE. DO NOT DROP” on the side.. 

Pepper huffed. “Adam, you literally _were_ sick, and you still don’t know why, and you’ve been acting weird ever since. I’m _so_ sorry we’re concerned for you.”

Adam stared at her, stunned. “Well-- well-- well if that’s how you show concern I don’t want it! It feels like pity, and I don’t need pity!”

And with that, he stormed off.

Pepper sighed, and turned around. “Well, even if Adam’s behaving like a... well, like that, we can still have fun without him. We’ll go, uh...” She faltered. Adam was usually the one to come up with the best ideas. 

A long, uncomfortable silence stretched between them. It was broken only by a voice none of them recognised, saying “‘scuse me.” 

“Sorry!” Pepper said, upon which the group quickly parted. Pepper looked at the boy now walking past them. She hadn’t recognised his voice, but she didn’t recognise his face, either. Must be a new student.

Then, he disappeared in the swirling mass that was people walking through the school.  
  
Brian cleared his throat. “Well, we still have homework to do, but maybe we could... uh... go to the park for a bit?”

Wensleydale nodded. Pepper didn’t react.

“Pepper?” Brian asked.

“Yes! Sorry, yes, let’s,” Pepper said quickly.

Wensleydale, realising his bag was still open, briskly closed it. They left the school together, each of them acutely aware of Adam’s absence, but none of them willing to comment on it.

Their visit to the park was a short one that day.

~~~

"Huh. So it really is going to benefit the both of us." 

“I do believe that is what I just said.”

“...I suppose it is.” A long silence stretched between them. “Well, agent, glad to know they didn’t suck all the good out of you during all the years you’ve worked at,” he quickly looked around the shopping centre and saw nobody in earshot of them, “the CIA.”

“Careful, cultist. You don’t want to jeopardise your one chance at success.”

Crowley threw his head back and laughed. “Ha! My one chance, that’s a good one. You really do think highly of yourselves, all of you. Do they-- is that something you’re taught or does it come naturally? Is it part of the selection process?”

Aziraphale frowned and shook his head. “Selection process... the public will believe _anything_ these days. No matter. As soon as we find the child, we can go our separate ways and pretend this never happened.”  
  
“We?” Crowley’s voice rose a few octaves, perplexed as he was. “You’re including me on what you’re going to do?”

“Well, yes,” Aziraphale said, speaking slowly, as if he was considering each word before he said it. “Two heads work better than one, they say. And between the two of us we do have _two_ heads, instead of me, on my own, with just one.”

“Well, well, well, agent! I’m honoured!” Crowley mock saluted. Aziraphale glared at him. Crowley continued, “But how are you going to find him? So far, neither of us have had much luck, otherwise we wouldn’t be standing here. Can you only find him if someone's helping you? Did you have an idea for something that'll help look for him that would only work with two people working on it? Is that it?” 

Aziraphale sighed, exasperated. “As I said before, two heads are better than one. If you help me, it’ll get done faster. And it _is_ in your best interest, too, because the sooner we’re done the sooner I can get out of your hair.”[15]

Crowley acquiesced. He wondered whether he’d ever be able to take a look at his map before this was all over.

~~~

Adam kicked a small stone and stared at it as it bounced a few times before it finally landed on the road. He then did it another time. And another time. And yet another time.

Adam Young was most definitely not sulking.

He was so caught up in his not-sulking, he didn’t notice it when another boy walked up to him. He nearly jumped ten feet in the air when he heard a voice.

“Woah, didn’t mean to scare you like that!” The boy grinned, and stuck out his hand. Adam stared at it for a second before quickly shaking it. “I’m Warlock,” the boy said.

“Adam,” Adam replied. “Why are you still here? School’s been over for a while.”

“I could ask you the same thing!”

“Yeah, but I asked first.”

Warlock laughed. “Fair enough. My parents couldn’t come get me, but they didn’t tell me until now, so I’m walking home. Care to walk with me?”

“Which way are you going?”

For a second, it was as if Adam could see the gears grinding in Warlock’s head. Then Warlock smiled, but it was a smile that looked like he’d just dropped his ice cream on the ground, yet it also looked kind of pretty lying there. “That way,” he said, and pointed.

Adam looked. “Oh, yeah, I’m going that way too. Let’s go then?”

And they left the school grounds together, Adam trying not to be aware of the absence of his friends, and miserably failing.

At least Warlock was nice. Maybe he could make a new friend.

~~~

Adam was looking out his bedroom window, paying no attention to the street outsite.[16] It was dark outside, and he was supposed to be asleep right now. 

He couldn’t sleep. Oh, he’d tried, But he kept replaying the argument he’d had with Pepper, Brian and Wensleydale in his head. Why couldn’t they just listen to him? He’d be _so_ tired tomorrow.

Pepper was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. While it was certainly true Adam had been incredibly rude, she couldn’t help but wonder just what had changed to make him act like that. What if it was because he didn’t want to be friends with them anymore? Was their friendship worth anything to him?

Well, no use worrying. Adam certainly wouldn’t change based on that. Pepper turned to her side and closed her eyes.

Brian put on his pajamas, somewhat lackluster. Today had not been a good day. It felt like Adam was constantly on edge, and it was wearing Brian down too. But with Adam so unwilling to accept help... well, there wasn’t anything he could do.

He sighed, then got into bed. He still had school tomorrow. No use staying up and being all tired the next day. 

Wensleydale had read the same page six times now. He couldn’t focus on the book--he kept thinking about the argument with Adam earlier that day. It was odd. Adam hadn’t been acting like himself lately. He didn’t want to lose a friend. He liked Adam.

Deciding he wouldn’t be able to read anymore tonight, Wensleydale decided to get ready for bed.

~~~

“Do stop looking at that map, and come help me. Remember, we want--”

“To get this done as soon as possible, yes, yes, I know,” Crowley muttered, and closed his map. He sauntered over to Aziraphale, who was working on the tracking device. “You know, agent, I’m surprised you even want my help. Does this mean you trust me?”

As far as I can throw you, Aziraphale thought, but he didn’t say it. Instead, he said, “I do have a name, you know. I suggest you use it.”

“Likewise.“

Aziraphale resisted rolling his eyes. “Fine. _Crowley_ , come help me.”

“Gladly, _Aziraphale_.”[17] Crowley surveyed the mass of wires lying around. “What do you want me to do?”

“Connect these wires for me, see if you can figure out why the previous set up wasn’t working,” Aziraphale replied. 

They worked in silence for the next few hours, only breaking it occasionally to either give or ask for instructions. They were still working long after the sun rose.

“Oh dear, we’ve been at this rather long, haven’t we?” Aziraphale said suddenly. “And we’re still no closer to making it work!” he added, a desperate note creeping up in his voice.

“Think again, Aziraphale!” Crowley said smugly. With an exaggerated flourish, he flicked a switch, and the lights of the device turned on. Within a few seconds, the screen showed a map of London, with a small area highlighted. “There! Traces of chronon energy! We’ve found him!”

“Oh, marvelous!” Aziraphale said, and clapped his hands. “Oh, thank you, Crowley, I couldn’t have done it without you!”

Crowley grinned. “I knew it. You agents pretend you’re so much better than us, and yet, you needed my help to do this.” 

“There’s no need to insult me, Crowley.”

“Ah,” Crowley said. “But hey, at least you’ll be rid of me soon!”

With a shock, Aziraphale realised he wasn’t actually glad to be rid of Crowley. Sure, they’d been enemies from the start, but working together like this made him realise he actually _liked_ Crowley.[18] That wasn’t supposed to happen!

Crowley, meanwhile, was in the middle of a similar realisation. He certainly didn’t _like_ Aziraphale, no, not at all,[19] but Aziraphale was actually a decent person under that CIA facade. And he would most likely miss Aziraphale when he left, but that was just-- oh, he couldn’t even fool himself. Well, shit. That wasn’t supposed to happen!

With a cough, Aziraphale broke the tense silence that had developed between them. “Well, shall we be off then?”

“Yes,” Crowley said tersely. “Let’s-- let’s go.”

They managed to get to the school uninterrupted, luckily, although they got lost on the way there first.[20]

~~~

Walking into school felt different that day. and Pepper, Brian and Wensleydale were each very much aware why. But they weren’t the only ones aware--in fact, it seemed as though the entire school, including _the building itself_ was aware of something, as if everything was just waiting.

But for what?

None of them had any time to dwell on it, though, because Adam walked in. And he wasn’t alone. 

Then, Wensleydale said, “Hang on. Isn’t that the same guy from yesterday?”

Pepper blinked. “I think you may be right,” she said, at the same time that Brian said, “Wait, what?”

Wensleydale was right, it _was_ the same boy that had interrupted them yesterday just after Adam had stormed off. But what was he doing with Adam? Had Adam really replaced them that quickly?

“Hi guys!” Adam said, seemingly cheerful.

“Hi guys? That’s all you have to say for yourself? Not to mention, ‘guys’? Oh, I don’t even have time to tell you how that is wrong!” Pepper responded. “You _stormed off_ yesterday, Adam, because you were angry at us showing concern for you, and all you have to say is ‘hi guys’?” She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down. “Go away, Adam. Go back to your new friend. Clearly, you don’t need us anymore,” she sneered.

Adam gaped at Pepper. He’d never seen her so angry before. Then he collected himself. With an icy calm, he said in a monotone voice, “If that’s how you feel, then fine. I suppose we aren’t friends anymore then.”

“Fine,” Pepper said, her jaw tense. Brian and Wensleydale exchanged quick glances, then adopted a similar expression.

Warlock, having only caught part of their conversation, was very confused, but decided not to say anything. He got a watch out of his pocket and checked the time. Class would start any minute now.

The bell rang, and the group dispersed. [21]

It was a weird day at school that day. It was about to get even weirder.

Much, _much_ weirder.

* * *

15. Normally, Aziraphale didn’t use so many metaphors. Apparently he did when he was nervous.^

16. For a brief moment, he felt like a character in a movie. The only thing missing was the rain pattering on the glass.^

17. Crowley was mostly glad Aziraphale hadn’t thrown him out yet, by some miracle. Maybe he really wasn’t so bad.^

18. He could either panic or repress this realisation. He chose the latter.^

19. He absolutely did.^

20. Crowley couldn’t have been more glad he’d had the map with him.^

21. Unfortunately, they still had to go to the same form room, so they encountered each other again there. You could have cut the tension with a knife then.^

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check in ~~next week~~ at some point, when I manage to finish writing it, for the thrilling conclusion!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discoveries are made. Adam makes a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said I'd post the next chapter next week? ...Yeah. It took me a bit longer to finish than I initially expected, but it's here now. Have fun!
> 
> This chapter includes a wonderful illustration by [Ouida](https://ouidasart.tumblr.com/post/635868440923684864/my-illustration-for-the-fourth-chapter-of)!
> 
> Big thank you to [Thyra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thyra279/) and Alex for the beta read!

“So. This is the place.” Crowley looked at the building in front of him. It was filled with young humans.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Aziraphale asked. “This looks more like a prison to me.”[22]

“ _Yes_ , Aziraphale, I’m sure. Don’t worry, we’ll get in, do what we have to, and then we won’t have to see each other again. We have worked _very_ hard on this plan. It will work.”

Aziraphale didn’t say anything.

Crowley sighed. “Disable the security cameras, Aziraphale, you’re the one with the device.”

“Right! I’ll, ah, just do this...” Aziraphale fiddled with a few buttons, and when the device emitted a flash, he looked satisfied. “There. That should do it.”

“Well, yeah, I certainly hope so. Won’t have much of a chance otherwise.”

“Do have faith in me, Crowley. Remember I have a stake in the outcome as well.”[23]

“Let’s just enter the school, please,” Crowley mumbled.

“Yes, let’s,” Aziraphale said, unfazed, and walked towards the entrance. Crowley followed.

~~~

“Hey, Warlock, how long do we have ‘til biology?”

Warlock reached into his pocket and grabbed his watch. He clicked it open. “About ten minutes.”

Adam closed his eyes and tilted his head backwards. He let out a sigh. “Ten minutes... I’ve finished my lunch already. That’s just too long.”

Warlock shrugged, having just taken a bite of his own lunch. He swallowed. “Why’d you ask me, anyways? I’ve heard the clock on the wall is broken or something, but don’t you have your own watch?”

Adam frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Warlock pointed with his fork to Adam’s trousers. “It’s literally right there, in your pocket. I can see it.”

Adam looked down, and stared at his watch for a second, before taking it out of his pocket and holding it in his hand. He studied it for a bit, transfixed by it, before Warlock interrupted his thoughts by asking about the patterns on the front.

“Sorry, what did you say?” Adam asked.

“I asked about the patterns on your watch. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that before. It looks nice.” 

“Thank you,” Adam replied, somewhat absent-mindedly. He felt a strange compulsion to open the watch, like he’d had before, only now he thought he could almost hear a voice... He couldn’t quite make out what it was saying. Something about... a ruler?

Suddenly, it was as if the wind was knocked out of him when somebody tripped and fell onto him. The pocket watch fell on the ground. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” the girl who’d just fallen onto Adam exclaimed. “I’m sorry! I couldn get into a classroom, so I went to ask the janitor for a key, but I- I didn’t see where I was going and I tripped and fell and-”

“‘s alright,” Adam mumbled. He felt a bit hazy. The girl apologised profusely once more, then meekly walked away.

“You okay there?” Warlock asked. When Adam nodded, he continued, “I grabbed your watch for you. Here.”  
  
Adam silently accepted it, and shoved it into his pocket immediately, then sat silently until the bell rang.

~~~

“This may prove harder than we initially thought,” said Aziraphale.

“No kidding,” Crowley muttered in reply. “Are you sure this map is the most detailed you can get because I don’t see how we can ever find… Him… like this.”

“ _Yes_ , Crowley, I’m sure. Trust me, if I could have done something to make this easier, I would have. I want to get this finished just as much as you do.”

Crowley groaned. “Then what are we supposed to do? Just stand around here and wait until the child comes to us?”

Aziraphale said nothing.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!”

“I’m afraid I’m not-”

“No. _No_. We are coming up with a better plan _right_ now. I don’t care how long it takes, we are going to succeed. There is too much at stake for us to fail, so we have to come up with a good idea. Got it?” Crowley had started his rant in a whisper, but by the time he’d reached the end he was practically yelling.

“Shush! Or do you want everyone to hear us?”

Crowley glared at Aziraphale, but stayed quiet.[24]

Aziraphale gave a slight nod. “That’s better. Okay, you want to come up with a plan. We shall come up with a plan, then. Let’s… aha! We can hide there for the time being,” he said, pointing at an empty office.

They walked into the office. Crowley put a deadlock on the door so no one could disturb them, before turning towards Aziraphale.

“All right,” Crowley said, “let’s begin.”

~~~

The bell rang, and slowly but surely everyone left the school building. School was finally over.

“Hey, Adam?” Warlock asked. “Since I didn’t get to see your watch at lunch… any chance I could take a look at it now?”

“My what?” Adam replied.

“What? Adam, you did that at lunch already, there’s no need to do it again. I know you have it. I’ve seen it,” Warlock said, astonished. “Just not in much detail…”

Adam blinked, bewildered. Then, he reached into his pocket and took out his watch, slowly, almost as if he’d never done that before. Warlock reached out to take it, but Adam pulled away before Warlock could.

“What-- Adam, what are you doing?” Warlock said.

Adam looked somewhat apologetic. “Sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” He moved to give it to Warlock, and had to restrain himself from pulling his arm back a second time.[25]

Warlock picked up the watch and turned it around in his hand to take a good look at it. He hadn't really seen anything like it before, but the circular design looked beautiful. Well, it reminded him of his own watch, actually, but it was a unique design nonetheless. He clicked it open.

The watch started glowing.

Well, not exactly glowing, but there was something coming out of it, and it was _bright_. It looked a lot like a tendril of sorts, except made out of light.

It was also heading directly for Adam. 

Before Warlock could ask him what the light was, it reached him. 

If this wasn’t happening right in front of his eyes, Warlock would have never believed it. Hell, it _was_ happening, and he could see it, but he still had trouble believing it.

Adam was _changing_. He was almost completely unrecognisable, and not in a good way. He didn’t even look human anymore, what with the numerous eyes and- were those tentacles? [26]

Then, Warlock’s thoughts caught up with him and he remembered he was still holding Adam’s watch in his hand, and whatever was happening to Adam was happening because Warlock had opened the watch. As soon as he’d realised this, he snapped it shut. It took some effort, more than he’d expected, but after a few seconds of struggling he managed to.[27]

Adam collapsed.

“Adam!” Warlock said, even as he knew Adam wouldn’t respond. He looked around frantically. Where _was_ everyone? He called out, “Help! Somebody, help, please, Adam passed out!”

He heard footsteps. Relieved, he turned his head towards the sound, It was- oh, it was those kids Adam was very angry at, for some reason. That was weird. Why would they... oh, who cares, they probably didn’t realise it was this Adam, surely there’s more than one Adam at this school, they’ll still help.... Right?

(Right?) 

“What happened?” the girl said.

“I- I don’t know!” Warlock said, his voice breaking a little.

“What, he just fell down like that?” she replied.

“Well, it actually is possible-”

"Shut _up_ , Wensleydale.”  
  
The boy (Wensleydale, apparently) pressed his lips together, but he shut up.

“He’s got a point, Pepper,” the other boy said.

Pepper sighed. “It doesn’t ‘just happen’ to people who are otherwise perfectly healthy, Brian, I’m pretty sure.”

Warlock blinked. What was going on? This was no time to be arguing like this. “Hey!” he shouted, to grab their attention. “Can’t one of you go get the nurse or something? In case you haven’t noticed, Adam is lying here, passed out, which is _not a good thing_!”

All three stared at him. None of them moved.

“Do something!”

They all moved to go get the nurse, when they bumped into two old men,[28]

“I believe you needed a nurse?” the one with blond hair said.

~~~

“And you’re sure this’ll work?” Crowley whispered.

“Have you got any better ideas?” Aziraphale bit back, keeping his voice low.

Crowley didn’t reply, although his face suggested it wasn’t for a lack of wanting.

“That’s what I thought. Follow my lead.” Aziraphale turned towards the children and raised his voice, “I believe you needed a nurse?”

They nodded, then moved to let him through. Crowley followed suit.

Aziraphale didn’t have much knowledge on what exactly nurses did, but he had some cursory knowledge from one of the files he’d read in preparation of this assignment. Perhaps fortunately, as soon as he lowered himself onto the ground besides Adam, Adam’s eyes started fluttering. 

“Ah!” Aziraphale said. “Looks like you’re waking up already. No, don’t--don’t try to get up just yet, you’ve fainted, you have to be careful. We don’t know what happened to you.”

“Nothing happened,” Adam mumbled, his words a bit slurred. “I‘m fine.”

"You’re not,” Crowley replied. 

Aziraphale nodded. “As he said. Don’t worry. We’re here to help.” He turned to Crowley. “Go get him a glass of water.”

Crowley didn’t know how he was supposed to do that, but he walked away to go get one regardless. He’d figure it out. He happened to have a glass in his pocket, but no water. He found a drinking fountain soon enough, so that took care of that. Glass of water in hand, he briskly walked back, trying not to spill any liquid. He was so focused, in fact, that he managed to knock one of the children over when he arrived. 

_Shit_. He’d forgotten they were there too. Somehow, he managed not to spill any of the water. He quickly gave the glass to Aziraphale. 

Then he turned around and helped the boy get up. 'Sorry about that,” he said, “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“ ‘s alright,” the boy said. “I’m fine.”

Crowley, satisfied with that answer, turned back around.

...and nearly screamed when he saw a pocket watch lying on the ground. With a circular design.

This was it! The watch they’d been looking for! Crowley couldn’t believe they’d missed that earlier. He quickly scooped it up and walked towards Aziraphale, who was still attending-- well, presumably the son of Satan, right?[29]

“Aziraphale!” Crowley hissed. “I’ve got the watch!”

Aziraphale tried, and failed, not to show his excitement. “May I see it?”. he asked with a trembling voice.

Crowley gave it to him.

Something was wrong, Aziraphale felt, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. Then it hit him.

 _This was a working pocket watch_. It was _not_ the one they were looking for.

Not knowing what to do with it, Aziraphale laid it on the ground. They would deal with it later.

~~~

After recovering from the shock, Warlock realised he still had Adam’s watch in his hand. He looked at it again. It didn’t seem to be holding otherworldly things, but despite its appearance, Warlock knew what he’d seen. And whatever it was had affected Adam, so it wasn’t an hallucination.

He turned to Pepper, Brian and Wensleydale, and held out the watch. “Do any of you recognise this?”

Pepper took the watch. After a few seconds, she said, “No, not really.”

Brian and Wensleydale looked at it from over her shoulders, but they both shrugged.

Warlock sighed. Maybe, once this was over, he could ask Adam. He didn’t hold out much hope, however, if Adam’s past behaviour was anything to go by.

Adam seemed to be doing better already, as he was sitting against the wall, slowly sipping from a glass of water.

The nurse next to Adam stood up and walked towards the other nurse, and then they started discussing, well, something, but they were speaking so softly Warlock couldn’t make out what they were saying. 

He hoped Adam was okay.

Warlock spotted his own watch on the ground, and quickly picked it up. He hadn’t realised he’d lost it in the first place, but whatever. Then he moved to sit next to Adam. 

“You okay?” Warlock asked.

Adam nodded.

They sat there for a few seconds in silence.

Pepper cleared her throat. “Hey... Adam? Can we- Are you-?” She faltered.

“Come here, Pepper. No need to stand there. Brian, Wensleydale, you too.” Adam spoke unsteadily. When all three of them sat themselves down on the ground, Adam continued, his voice getting steadier with each word he said, “I- I’m sorry for how I acted yesterday. And today.”

Warlock didn’t have enough context to know what was going on, so he stayed quiet. Pepper looked stunned. Brian had an indescribable look on his face. Wensleydale looked like he was about to correct Adam, then thought better of it.[30]

Pepper held out the pocket watch she still had in her hands. “Here. This one’s yours, isn’t it?”

Adam moved to grab it, but as soon as he touched it, he couldn’t let go--and neither could Pepper. Not even a second later, Brian and Wensleydale were inexplicably compelled to touch the watch as well, and so was Warlock.

None of them could explain the images they saw, but they almost seemed to be visions of the future.[31]

Aziraphale and Crowley were still arguing, but they were so caught up they didn’t notice what the children were doing until it was too late.

“What the--”

“Oh _no_ \--”

As soon as Aziraphale and Crowley realised what had happened, it was over.

“Well, I suppose we don’t need to look for it anymore.” Crowley said, still processing what had happened.

Aziraphale rolled his eyes. “What astounding observational powers you have.”

They were interrupted by Adam. “What are you talking about?”

Aziraphale and Crowley looked at each other. Then, Aziraphale said, “Well, it’s a rather complicated subject...”

“It’s really not,” said Crowley, “Look, boy, you’re not actually human. Well, you are now, but you weren’t always like that. That watch? Contains the alien you once were.”

Adam blinked. “What?”

“See, Crowley, I _told_ you--” Aziraphale started.

Adam interrupted him again. “No, no, it was perfectly clear, but, how can an entire _alien_ fit inside a _watch_?”

“That’s really simple, actually.” Crowley said, grinning. “You just fold them up _very_ tightly.”

Aziraphale pinched his nose. “That’s not- oh, never mind.” He turned to Adam. “Have you heard a voice coming from the watch, by any chance?” Adam nodded hesitantly. 

Aziraphale frowned. “I guess that hypothesis is correct, then. That voice was alien you. Should you wish it, you could become him again by opening the watch. You would go back to Gallifrey with all its splendour and technological advancements, and... well, some people would be _very_ happy to see your return.”

“No thanks,” Adam replied. “I’ve heard the things he said. I vastly prefer my life here. I wouldn’t want to miss my friends.”

“...Oh.” Aziraphale considered telling him he probably wouldn’t, but decided against it. His mission was fulfilled, anyways, so he was done here.

“You’re probably not actually nurses then,” Pepper spoke up.

Aziraphale simply smiled. Crowley was busy playing with the flower he still had with him.

“What are you doing with a flower?” Warlock asked. 

“That’s not a flower, it’s plastic,” Brian said.

“Actually, it’s a plastic flower, Brian,” Wensleydale replied.

Crowley stared at his flower in shock. “Plastic?”

~~~

Aziraphale and Crowley stood in front of Aziraphale’s TARDIS.

“So, you’re really leaving then?” Crowley asked. “You don’t enjoy it here?'

“I have to get back, Crowley, they’re expecting me.”

“Come on, nothing here that you like better? I’ve seen you read that book, you know. They don’t make them like that on Gallifrey.”

“Crowley, no, I’ve told you, I can’t--”

“You’re free to read anything you want here.” Crowley countered.

You could almost hear the gears whirring inside Aziraphale’s head. “Oh, well, in that case I suppose I could be tempted to stay here a bit longer... just to keep an eye on you, of course, you are of course a very dangerous adversary, you understand.”

“Yeah,’ Crowley said. “I understand.”

Aziraphale locked the doors of his TARDIS and grabbed a book that was laying on the counter of his shop. “Grab a book yourself, if you wish. There’s enough to go around.”

“No thanks,” Crowley said. “I’m not the reading type.” He walked to the couch and laid himself down. Aziraphale settled in a chair next to him and began to read. 

And so they stayed for hours and hours, with no one to disturb them.

It was the first time either of them had felt comfortable in ages.

* * *

22. It looked like an architectural abomination to Aziraphale, so it was only natural to him that criminals would be sent here.^

23. Hypocrisy is second nature to Time Lords. A Time Lord without hypocrisy simply does not exist.^

24. Well, he stayed quiet verbally. Telepathically, not so much.^

25. If Adam had felt confused before, this had now been increased tenfold. It was as if he wasn’t himself anymore.^

26. One might have described Adam’s new look as Lovecraftian. One wouldn’t be wrong.^

27. It didn’t escape Warlock’s attention that the same tendril of light that had come out also came back in when he closed it.^

28. They looked vaguely familiar, but none of them could quite place from where.^

29. The effects of a chameleon arch were not very well known, because research on it tended to be classified, but Crowley could imagine that releasing the Time Lord within the watch, when done temporarily, could easily knock someone out.^

30. Or Warlock was bad at reading body language. He’d had a sheltered youth, after all.^

31. In a sense, they were, but only of a _possible_ future, though a likely one.^

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a short epilogue coming up, so look out for that! ~~And this time it won't take months to post, I promise.~~


	5. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Crowley and Aziraphale notify their bosses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the epilogue, marking the end of my first multi-chapter fic! It's a short one.
> 
> Thank you to [Thyra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thyra279/) and Alex for the beta!

[MESSAGE STARTS]

greetings,

messaging you to let you know son of satan wasn’t ready yet. I’ll stay here to influence him so he will be ready later. see you when it’s done.

your loyal servant

[MESSAGE ENDS]

[REPORT STARTS]

Mission status: ongoing.

Arrived on Earth to find the cult operative already there. Managed to keep the son of Satan out of their hands. but the operative has remained on Earth. It is likely he will attempt it again. Must remain here to prevent that.

[REPORT ENDS]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I loved writing it. Love you all! <3


End file.
